The Railway Series books, written by Rev W.V.Awdrey, introduced the world to Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends. The stories were about the everyday lives of Thomas, Percy, Toby, Henry, Gordon, James and Edward and so on. Sometimes they were cheerful and helpful and some characters were mischievous. The Fat Controller tried to keep them in order. When the TV series was made, merchandise came on the market and lots of children wanted a Thomas the Tank Engine toy.
The items available include video games, puzzles, DVDs and clothing but the railway models are the most popular. There are different kinds of Thomas the Tank Engine toy railway and they are made by several companies, mostly for the UK, American and Japanese market. Tomy produced battery run engines and wind up models and Hornby and Tomix made electric models. A few manufacturers made wooden engines and rails and Lego introduced their own train set.
The first company to get involved in the Thomas the Tank Engine toy market was the US company, Ertl. They made die cast model kits from 1984 to 2004. The engines had fixed plastic faces and the models could be coupled together. Locomotives were made from metal and the chassis and wheels were plastic. Although this Thomas the Tank Engine toy range was based on the TV show, some of the characters were only taken from the books and hadn't appeared on television. In 1991, Ertl began a range of miniature models, presented in a play set. These were later sold as keyrings. The play set consisted of a station, level crossing, goods yard, engine shed, oval track, windmill, viaduct and airport.
My First Thomas and Friends was produced by the British toy firm, Golden Bear Toys. They were aimed at younger children and were made from chunky plastic. Talking versions followed, in models with moving eyes, saying catchphrases from the show. The voice was that of original narrator, Ringo Starr, who was followed by Michael Angelis.
Merchandise also exists for the American made spin off series, Shining Time Station that was first shown in 1989. The Lionel Train Company made several different kinds of model sets, which were very popular in America and Ireland and Canada, where the show was also broadcast. In addition to the Thomas the Tank Engine toy models, there are models of Annie, Clarabel, James and the Troublesome trucks, Harold the Helicopter and Percy the Saddle Tank Engine.
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